GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — She was born and raised in West Michigan and now she’s a New York fashion designer dressing celebrities for major red-carpet events. Her next big project? Dressing Vanessa Williams in "The Devil Wears Prada" musical.
“And let me tell you, when she comes up, everyone just like,” said Pamella Roland DeVos as she described to 13 ON YOUR SIDE one of her looks for the show.
It wasn’t always like this for the renowned fashion designer.
“I work out of New York, though. So, I’m a New York designer but this is home,” she said.
Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Roland DeVos says her love for fashion came from watching her mom get dressed.
“I’ll never forget, especially one day, she put this red gown on and just transformed. It was just always something I loved.”
Not everyone in the family supported this dream, though.
“My father was against me doing anything in the arts, because he’s like ‘how are you going to make money?’”
She would go on to get her business degree from Michigan State University, and she never stopped dreaming.
“I didn’t start this business until I was 41.”
Pamella Roland designs took off! Right away she was picked up by Neiman Marcus, and eventually by several celebrities, too.
“I’ve dressed so many actresses and especially back then, that was a really big deal. Now, they have stylists and all that, but they didn’t have that back then,” said Roland DeVos.
She says she’ll never forget her first.
“It was Kim Cattrall on 'Sex and the City.' When we saw her walk on the red carpet, we all just screamed. It was so great.”
It was through her work that she met Vanessa Williams.
“Well, first of all, Vanessa Williams is one of my great friends.”
She dressed her for the first time for her Emmys look in 2005.
“Vanessa wears our clothes really well. So, it was really pretty easy for us to make clothes for her.”
Roland DeVos would go on to design her wedding dress, with the two becoming fast friends.
“It’s just a really wonderful friendship, really easy, we’re a lot alike, we laugh a lot. She’s fantastic.”
In the upcoming "The Devil Wears Prada" musical, Williams will play the iconic Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep in the film. It was Williams who asked Roland DeVos to design her looks.
“I said, sure, I’ll do this.”
13 ON YOUR SIDE sat down with the fashion designer at the Kendall College of Art and Design, where the fashion program is named after Roland DeVos. It was there that she showed us her sketches for the show.
“Nothing like the show. A little bit edgier, but it still takes place in 2005. So, they’re very clean lines.”
It wasn’t always this way.
But with Pamella Roland designs taking on its biggest project yet, “Our business has become a big deal,” she said laughing.
The Devil Wears Prada musical opens at London’s Dominion Theatre on Oct. 24, with music created by Elton John.